Method and means for vaporizing heavy oils



M. omen,

METHOD AND MEANS FOR VAPORIZING HEAVY OILS. M

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 191 8.

1,370,476. Patented Mar.1,192'1.

arzuretefl w Ci Q 4" If Cdrzmreiel gested for this purpose.

UNITED sures MAURICE ORIGE'I, OF ARROGHAR, NEW YORK.

METHOD AND MEANS FOR VAPORIZI NG HEAVY OILS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar; 1, 1921.

Application filedJ'une 4, 1918. Serial No. 238,100.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, MAURICE ORIGET, a citizen of the United States, residing at Arrochar, in the county of Richmond and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods and Means for Vaporizing Heavy Oils, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a method and means of vaporizing kerosene and other heavy oils, or other liquid hydrocarbons, etc., for use in an internal combustion-motor, or for other purposes.

The'relatively higher cost of gasolene and other light oils has made this a great necessity, and numerous devices have been sug-.

By the application of my method, a simple attachment can be inserted between the carbureter and the manifold'of an internal combustion motor designed for the use of gasolene, as for in- I stance in an automobile, whereby the carbureter can be caused to run with kerosene or other heavy oil, etc.

A preferred embodiment of my invention is diagrammatically shown' in the annexed description and drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation partly in section,

Fig. 2 is a top view,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view partly in section illustratinga modification, and

Fig. 4 is a front elevation partly in section showing another modification.

If an ordinary gasolene carbureter. is

caused to operate with kerosene or the like,

the oil is not vaporizedatthe ordinary temperature of the air with proper efficiency especially if the weather is rather cold. As a result, the kerosene is borne along 1n the current of air sucked through the carbureter in the form of fine drops which leads to the well-known evils apparent informer devices of this character, such as difliculty in starting the engine, keeping it running, smoking, excessive carbon deposits, etc. In addition, in former devices, the surplus of unconsumed kerosene left in the cylinderat each explosion ran down between the piston and cylinder into the-crank case, and dissolved the lubricating oil.

According to my invention the-mixture of air and kerosene which may be vaporizedto a slight extent but is present largely in the form of minute drops is dashed against a series of surfaces which are preferably porous, so that they absorb the drops of kerosene and cause them to spread out by capillary attraction, exactly as a piece of blotting paper absorbs a drop of Water and causes it to spread out. These porous surfaces which can be made of asbestos for example, are heated by suitable means, so that the absorbed kerosene is instantly raised to a suitable temperature for being immediately vaporized and carried off by the current of air. The area of the absorbing surfaces may be made as large as desired, as if there is an excess of area, this will produce ,no bad effect as the porous surfaces cannot possibly absorb more kerosene than is sprayed on to them from the carbureter. The use of asbestos is preferred, although my invention is not limited thereto, because it is not only porous, absorbing the keroseneinstantly, but it is also a nonconduc tor of heat, so that the vaporized kerosene and air are not heated too high, and the explosive mixture does not enter the cylinders in too expanded a condition.

As the carbureter permits a delicate adjustment of the amount of kerosene sprayed in, an exact regulation of the quantity of kerosene vaporized is possible.

Such a method is entirely different in principle and operation from numerous de-' vices in which asbestos was caused to dip into a pool of kerosene and absorb it and raise it by capillary attraction and then give it all to a current of air by suitable-means. Practical tests have shown that it was impossible to regulate the amount of kerosene so absorbed and vaporized under the widely varying conditions present in the operation of an internal combustion motor, so that inorder to be able to start the engine, a mixture that was far too rich for any practical purposes was later supplied to the cylinders.

According to my invention only the unlation of the carbureter. Besides, in my method the kerosene preferably does not contact at all with the means for heating the asbestos, but only with the warmed asbestos.

The carbureter, which is conventionally regulation other than the customary regu represented by the part 1 may be of anysuitable type at present known, and is only diagrammatically shown because my invention is neither directed nor limited to any particular type, although in practical tests I have found the Holley carbureter satis- .factory. The mixture of air and vaporized may have any desired shape is divided into three parts by partitions 11 and 12 which are connected by means of tubes 10 open at the top and bottom. The compartment 7 is connected to the exhaust pipe 15having the valve 30 so that the heated exhaust gases from theengine or heated gases from any other source may be passed through it, through the tubes 10 as indicated by the arrows, to heat them and thereby heat the asbestos wicks 13 which are of a porous character, and which surround the tubes 10. The exhaust gases pass out of the open compartment 16 to the exhaust pipe at the rear of the automobile, or any other convenient place.

Since the tubes 10 are arranged in the staggered relation shown in Fig. 2, the gases in the attachment 8 are imparted movements at right angles to the main direction of flow, and no unvaporized drops of kerosene can pass through without being absorbed and then vaporized.

I prefer to arrange the exhaust pipe near the entrance end ofthe apparatus, so that the tubes 10 there are hotter than the others. The air. and kerosene do-notcontact with the heated tubes which aremuch hotterv than the outer surfaces of the wicks, but only h gh speed, so that a large amount of exhaust gases are emitted, and the tubes 10 become highly heated, the temperature of the outside surface of the wicks 13 is not raised to an undesirable extent, because the attachment may be allowed to radiate heat freely, so that the slow thermal conductivity of the asbestos prevents it from becoming overheated, and the mixture of air and hydrocarbon passing through it does not become too hot and too expanded. Otherwise, the said mixture might expand so much as to cause a back pressure in the carbureter and the engine would not only receive too dilute a mixture just when it requires a rich mixture, but the apparatus would not functained continuously, so that the wicks 13 do' not become dry.

That this is the action is shown by actual tests as the compartment 7 is so hot that it cannot be touched by the human hand while the device is operating, while the walls of the central compartment are much cooler and the walls of the bottom compartment 16 while a little warmer than those of the cen tral compartment are much cooler than those of the compartment 7. This demonstrates that the tubes 10 absorb the heat ofthe exhaust gases and that this heat is not radiated because of the asbestos wicks 13 which retain all theheat so that the exhaust gases are much cooled when they enter the compartment 16.

If desired, the engine can be started by pouring some gasolene first into the carbureter 1 until the exhaust gases are sufficiently hot to permit the use of kerosene, and the device may be operated with gasolene alone with improved efficiency.

InFig. 3 I have shown wires 17, suitable plied through leads 20 and 21 to these wires which may be embedded in the asbestos, or wound in a spiral externally around the asbestos as shown in Fig. 4 so that the ashestos and tubes may be heated by an electric current provided from any suitable source in order to start the engine.

I prefer tocause the attachment 8, to lose heat so rapidly, eitherby conduction or radiation, or by directing a current of air thereon, that the temperature of the outside of the wicks is but little above that at which the kerosene is freely and rapidly vaporized by the current of air sucked in through the carbureter and attachment. This current of air also assists in keeping down the temperature of the outside of the wicks. In this manner all cracking of the hydrocarbon and all carbon deposits are avoided, although a short stop makes it necessary to heat the attachment 8 again for starting purposes. The thickness of the wicks and the radiation from or the cooling of the attachment may be varied to provide a suitable temperature in the central compartment of the attachment, although experience has shown that the same attachment is operative for both gasolene and kerosene. This operation is assisted by the fact that the gases passing through the central compartment of the attachment travel in a circuitous path, and move tangentially with respect to the wicks 13.

\Vhen mounted on an automobile be-- tween the carbureter and the manifold, the attachment may be caused to lose heat so freely that the gases passing through the central compartment always remain at the right temperature. Since the wicks are heated only by the hot metal tubes 10, the

flow of the gases through the central com-f partment is not disturbed as if gaseous heating means were used, and the air is caused to pass tangentially through the pores of the asbestos, as it moves around the wicks and tubes. The attachment is preferably made of metal, although any suitable material maly be used.

have shown a preferred embodiment of my invention in a diagrammatic manner but it is obvious that numerous changes and refinements could be introduced without departing from its spirit and I do not wish to be limited to the details herein described. Thus the attachment 8 could be heated by any desired means to start the operation of the device, which preferably has thick metal walls and the carbureter could be directly coupled to the attachment, without the pipe 2.

I claim 1. A method of vaporizing a liquid hydrocarbon, which consists in spraying a mixture thereof with air upon heated porous material which absorbs it, the tempera-- which consists in spraying a mixture there-- of with air upon porousmaterial which absorbs it, and heating the said porous material on the side opposite to that upon which the spray of fuel falls, the temperature of the porous material being sufiiciently high to cause the rapid vaporization of the said fuel and its intermingling with. the said air, the said temperature being below the point at which substantial combustion of the said fuel will occur during the said intermingling, so :that the temperature of the inter- I mingled fuel and air is less than thatof the source of heat by means of which the said porous material is heated.

3. A method of vaporizing a liquid fuel which consists in spraying a mixture thereof with air 11 on porous material, which absorbs it and heating the said porous material on the side opposite to that upon which the spray of fuel falls, the temperature of the porous material being sufficiently high to cause the vaporization of the said fuel by said air, the said porous material being a poor conductor of heat, so that it has a lower temperature on the side on which the said spray falls than on the heated side, the temperature of the said porous material being below the point at which any substantial combustion of the said fuel takes place, the temperature of the mixture of vaporized fuel and air being. less than that of the source of heat b porous material is heated.

4. A method of vaporizing a liquid fuel,

which consists in spraying a mixture thereof with air on porous material, which is a poor conductor of heat, and heating the said porous material on the side opposite to that upon which the spray falls, the drops of sprayed fuel being absorbed by said material and being vaporized before they reach the heated side of said porous material, the temperature of vaporization being less than the temperature of the 'source of heat, so

that there is no substantial combustion of the said'fuel during the said vaporization and the mixture of vaporized fuel and air have a temperature lower than that of the source of heat b means of which the said porous material is heated.

5 A method of vaporizing a liquid fuel, which consists in spraying a mixture thereof with air on a porous material which absorbs the fuel, heating the side of the said porous material opposite that upon which the fuel fallsby means of a heated nonporous body, and maintaining the said side on which the said fuel falls at a lower temperature than said body, the said drops of fuel beingvaporized fore they contact with said heated body, the temperature of the said porous material being below the point at which any substantial combustion of the said fuel can take place, so that the temperature of the intermingling vaporized fuel and air is below that of the source of heat by means of which the said porous material is heated.

6. A method of vaporizing a liquid fuel,

which consists in spraying a mixturethereof with air on a porous material which is a poor conductor of heat andabsorbs. said fuel, heating the side of said porous material opposite to that upon which the fuel falls and is absorbed by means of a heated non-porous body, which receives a variable amount of heat, and deprivin the said heat:

ed body of its heat, so as to a ways maintain that portion of the said porous material which absorbs said fuel at a temperature below that at which any substantial-combus tion can take place, so that the mixture of vaporized fuel and air remains at a temperature below that of the source of heat from which said porous material is heated.

7. A method of vaporizing a liquid fuel, which consists in spraying a mixture thereof'with air upon a series of heated porous bodies which absorb said .fuel, and which are arranged in staggered relation, so thatby means of which the said porous bodies are heated.

8. A method of vaporizing a liquid fuel for use in an internal combustion engine, which consists in heating porous material by means of the exhaustgases from the said vaporized fuel and air has a temperature.

below that of the said exhaust gases.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

MAURICE ORIGET. 

